need help! kitchen layout...pics.

Hi Everyone! I have been lurking on this board for quite some time and all of the expert advice has been sooo helpful to me since we bought our fixer-upper last year. Thank you to all of you!

Right now we are working on the kitchen and we have quite a time crunch because we are expecting our first child in just 3 months. The problem? My husband and I cannot agree on the layout, more specifically the placement of the refrigerator. I won't say who likes which layout but please help me by telling me which you prefer and why. I have never done a kitchen before so I am POSITIVE there are a ton of things I'm not thinking of.

I realize that one of the photos adds a bench and extends the kitchen further out. Both designs will end up doing that except now we are thinking of putting a desk in that spot instead of a bench.

I like the 2nd layout better. In the first layout the refrigerator seems to take over the wall and the windows seem to become more separated and kind of lost. Plus I think the refrigerator will block light coming out of the windows as it is deeper than the upper cabinets in the 2nd layout.

Have you considered doing more drawers where possible in your lower cabinets?

Thanks for responding itsallaboutthefood! There are some drawers which you can see better from this angle. Also, the Island has a microwave as well as 3 more drawers. Curious, are the drawers more usable than just a regular cabinet?

From the point of view of the cook,I like layout 1..from the point of view of visuals straight on,layout 2 has an advantage. Could you do layout 1 with a square island -seating on 2 sides and kitchen use on 2 sides? that gives alternate views for seated individuals:they can face the cook or face each other at the island[2 people on 2 sides-4 people total-much more social]. It doesn't mean the fridge is disapearing from that spot, but re-arranging how the island is used accomplishes many things. Make your island work for you-make it bigger and better as it is not a big kitchen[show some measurements perhaps and you may get more ideas thrown in the mix].

herbflavor...This is exactly why I love this forum! We can't really make the island any bigger unfortunately. There used to be a wall on that side of the kitchen that we knocked out and now there is a big beam on the ceiling that sort of delineates the two spaces.

The measurements are 9'9" by 12' not including the space under the window and beyond.

For the cook and ease of cooking, I prefer layout #1. It gives you more room around the stove for prep work and cooking. I just think that having more counter space around the stove will be more useful than counter space past the DW.

Most of your prep work will be done between sink and stove and perhaps some on the island. Having the fridge as in layout 1, allows someone to be using the fridge and helping you with prep work by working on the island. If you put the fridge right next to the stove and someone wants in the fridge to help you, they will either have to walk around the island to get to it or walk behind you (i.e. get in your way) while you are prepping, cooking, baking etc.

I also think that the size and symmetry of the cabinets work better in layout #1.
Oh and by the way - DRAWERS, drawers, drawers.

Just a thought, but can you put the range on the wall between the windows in layout 1? It's still not as much landing space as in layout 1 though...and you wouldn't be able to keep a dish rack on top of the dishwasher but I guess some people don't do that (I do).

aries- We hadn't thought about the ceiling height yet when we sat with the designer of layout #2. LOL! It is 9'5". I thought if we could at least figure out the best layout, then I could go back and extend upward with cabinets or crown molding. Not sure exactly of the measurement on that space between the refrigerator and stove...she didn't give us dimensions. I want to say either 9" or 11"?

itsallaboutthefood- We can move the range. I don't know why none of the designers have suggested that. We've seen 4 so far and 3 of them came up with pretty much the same design (layout 2), only one designer was different (layout 1).

blfelton- that's a good point about having to either walk around the island or behind the cook to get to the fridge.

Another thought...if you are not going to put a bench seat under the window...and put a desk there instead, you could extend the lowers there so that you have more counter space to the right of the range. (Course I'm not sure you would want a desk that close to the range...I know that eveything near my range tend to gets a little sticky from cooking residue).